UNITED NATIONS
Distr. General Assembly GENERAL
A/45/1000 26 April 1991
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Forty-fifth session Agenda item 23
QUESTION OF PALBSTINB
pn the Exercise of the Inalienable Riuhts of the Palestinian Peonle addressed to the Secretary-General
In my capacity as Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People I have the honour to inform you that I have received the enclosed comprehensive report from Bis Excellency Professor Guido de Marco, President of the General Assembly, on his visit to the Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories and in Jordan, which took place from 2 to 7 January 1991. At the Committee's invitation, the President had kindly agreed to brief the Committee at its 176th meeting, held on 22 February 1991, regarding his visit. In view of the importance of the President's report and its relevance to the work of the Committee, the Committee decided that the report should be widely disseminated as an official document of the United Nations (see annex).
On behalf of the Committee I would therefore like to request that the report be issued as a document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 23.
(Signed)Absa Claude DIALLO Chairman Committee on the 8xercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People
91-13277 2315h (El / . . . A/45/1000 Bnglish Page 2
ANNEX
Rencrt of the President of the General Assemblv On his visit to the Palestinian refuuees in the occuoied territories and in Jordan from 2 to 7 January 1991
CONTENTS
Parauraohs- Exs FORBWORU ...... C...... "...... 3
I. IRTRODUCTION ...... 1 -7 4
IX. THE VISIT: Factual information and meetings ...... 8 - 40 5
III. PLIGHT OF THE RF.FUGBES ...... 41 - 62 9
A. In the occupied Palestinian territories ...... 43 - 55 10
B. In Jordan ...... 56 - 62 13
IV. PERCEPTION OF PALESTINIANS ...... 63 - 73 14
V. ROLE OF TBB UNITED NATIONS RELIEF ARD WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTIRB REFGGEBS IN TEB NEAR EAST ...... 74 - 85 17
VI. CONCLUSIOLSS ...... a6 -.P8 19 APPENDICES
1. Statement of Palestinian women ...... a...... *...*...... ** 21
2. Profiles:
A. Jalazone Camp ...... 30
8. Dheisheh Camp ...... 31
3. List of people met ...... -13 2
4. Press aspects of ths visit ...... 36
5. Members of mission ...... 40
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 3
FOREWORD
1. The visit to the Palestinian refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Jordan was inspired by the visit which Mr. Giacomelli, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) paid to me at my Office on the 38th floor.
2. Mr. Giacomelli briefed me on the current activities of UNRWA. As we discussed the matter in greater depth, I realized that in order to fully understand the human dimension of the plight of the Palestinian refugees it would be best for me to visit the region. It was not a visit in antagonism to any of the States or political forces in the region: it was intended, in the light of an impending confrontation, to seek internationai opinion on an issue tilat has been on the agenda of the United Nations for decades, and which has defied a solution.
3. The present report is a reflection of what was seen, heard and, in some circumstances, suffered hy the delegation which I had the privilege to lead.
/ . . * A/45/ 1000 English Page 4
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The report of the Special Political Committee (A/45/822), which related tJ agenda item 74, entitled “United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East”, was considered by the General Assembly on Tuesday, 11 December 1990. The Special Political Committee considered this item in four meetiqs and heard 31 statements in the general debate. Eleven draft resolutions were adopted by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Committee.
2. The Commissioner-General of UNRWA introduced this item to the Committee. He provided information on recent events in UNRWA’s area of operations and also drew the attention of the Committee to some of the most pressing issues of the Agency caused by procedural and legalistic obstacles and constraints with which the Agency had to contend in the occupied Pslastinian territories. The Committee was also apprised of UNRWA’s financial difficulties and an appeal was made to major donors for immediate and more generous assistance. During the general debate, speakers praised the activities of UNRWA, which were designed to meet the basic needs of the Palestinian refugees, and pledged continued support for the Agency’s humanitarian mandate,
3. The speakers described and recognised the particularly serious situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, as a result of a three-year long Jnt.if@ah and harsh counter-measures on the part of the occupying authorities. Serious concern was voiced at the substantial increase in the number oE incidents which infringed upon UNRWA’S rights, privileges and immunities and reduced its capacity to discharge its functions effectively.
4. The General Assembly adopted the 11 draft resolutions recommended by the Committee (resolutions 43173 A to K). Two of the draft resolutions were adopted without a vote and the rest by recorded votes.
5. I informed the Stxretary-General of my intention to visit the refugee camps and, at his suggestion, I consulted with senior United Nations officials who briefed me on previous visits to the region and discussed with me !.n some detail my visit, including political and logistical aspects.
6. Subsequently, I also met with the Permanent Representatives of Israel and Jordan to the United Nations, as well as the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, all of whom welcomed my proposed visit and pledged their cooperation and support.
7. My programme and itinerary were finalized with the cooperation of UNRWA’s staff at. its headquarters in Vienna and in the field - namely in the occupied Palestinian territories and ,Jordan.
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 5
II. THE VISIT
8. Upon my arrival in Tel Aviv on the evening of 2 January, I was met at the airport by Mr. Johanan Bein, Directct of the Department of International Organisations at the Foreign Ministry of Israel, and other officials. Mr. Giorgio Giacomelli, Commissioner-General of IJNRWA, also came to meet me.
9. Since there were about a dozen journalists present, I took the opportunity to state for the record the purpose of my trip, making clear that I had come in my capacity as President of the General Assembly to see for myself the human dimension of the plight of the Palestine refugees, and that therefore my visit was in no way connected with the mandate of the Secretary-General under Security Council resolutions concerning the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. I also stressed that in my view there should be no linkage between the s!tuatiou in the occupied Palestinian territories and the crisis in the Gulf.
10. That evening, Mr. Giacomell; and some UNRWA staff briefed me fully on the situation in Gaxa and the West Bank. UNRWA planned the itinerary for my visit, and the Commissioner-General accompanied me throughout my six-day tour in the region, for which I am extremely grateful.
11. On the first full day of my visit, 1 met for approximately 90 minutes with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel, Mr. David Levy, and other lsraeli off icidl6. The Foreign Minister spoke at length about the oituation in the region and in the occupied Palestinian territories. For my part, I outlined well-known General Assembly positions on the need for a Palestinian homeland and the desirability of convening an international conference on the Middle Eabt as the best means to achieve that end,
12. Following my meeting with the Foreign Minister, our party set off for the Gaza Strip. The area had been declared a closed military zone by the Israeli Governmeut, as a seci1rit.y precaution. No one, including the press, was allowed to enter or leave during our stay, although journalists based in the territory were free to cover our movements.
13. Our first stop was at Jabalia Refugee Camp, where, among other services, UNRWA provides emergency food rations to hardship cases. ACter a brief stop at the 1JNRWA Women’s Activity Centre, where refugee wvmen alee taught income-genecating skills, we wpre scheduled to witness i\ frr~,d distribution exert ise. However, the food distribution centre, which is adjacent to the entrance t.o an Israeli military compound, was the scene OL a stone-thruwing incident involving hundreds of Palestinian youths targeting the Israeli soldiers inside the compound. So that our presence might not aggravate an already tense situation, we withdrew immediately from Jabalia.
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Page 6
14. Making use of the time gained, we made an unscheduled stop at the Rimol Health Centre, which provides both preventive and curative care to Gaze residents.
15. We then proceeded to Beach Camp, on the coast, where I was able to walk through the streets and talk with reeident.s. At one point, I was shown into a typical refugee shelter and introduced to the family that lived there. Tho standard UNRWA structure, designed as temporary, had been reinforced and expanded over the years, as the period of residence was prolonged beyond what anyone had imagined.
16. At the UN.;WA field off ice for Gaza, I was briefed by Director Klaus Worm and his staff who described a deteriorating situation. Repeated strikes and curfews had cc\t deeply into the income brought into the turritory: the Gulf crisis only compounded that problem. The same situation had reduced school days 42 per cent in the last year. (UNRWA provides schooling for 97,000 students.) w&a-related casualties have required UNRWA to open roundthe-clock health centres to treat the wounded and physiotherapy centres to help the injured recover. Other emergency-related services included ccrsh assistance to families whose homes were destroyed or whose breadwinner was arrested, wounded or killed. Following a Palestinian attack on Israeli civilians the previous May, I was told, Israeli security had been tightened, resulting in more arrests of Palestinians and complai,nts of beatings and harassment. UNRWA instituted the Refugee Affairs Officer programme three years ago; the RAOt;, as they ara called, can often serve as a buffer between the refugees and the Israeli soldiers. But their work is hazardous; at Beach Camp I met a young American RAO whose arm was in a cast from an injury sustained while observing a clash between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers.
17. Over lunch, I had the opportunity to meet with more than a dozen Palestinian notables from Gaza.
16. After lunch, our party stopped at the headquarters of the Gaza Port Fishermen’s Society, where the Society’s Chairman, Mohammad Zaqqout, described the hardships experienced by the territory’s fishermen due to the current situation.
19. At Nuseirat Refugee Camp, I inspected e. physiotherapy clinic, typical of a number of such VNRWA installations made necessary by the high casualty rate since the i.p~sh began.
20. My visit to Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gnza brought me face to face with some oE the uprising’s victims. \ number covered t.hei.r Fact:; irt the presence of tho television cameras accompanying our party, out. of redI. Doctors showed me H sarnplincr of t.he types of bul3ets taken from victims’ hodies, including rubber hul lets and p last- ic-coated metal bullets.
21. Deforc leaving Caza, I stopped at the British War Cel,.atary to lay a wreath on the qr;\v ‘r. of Cnnndinn nnd Indian soldiers of the United Nations peace-kneyi nq for ~0.
/ . . . A/45/1000 Enql ish Page 7
22. In Jerusalem that evening, UNRWA arranged a working dinner with the Consuls-General and with the Commander of the United Nations Truce Supervision Orqanization (UNTSO). Our discussion, which was wide-ranging, touched on the changing role of the United Nations in the region and in the world.
23. On Friday, I paid a courtesy call on the Mayor of Jerusalem, Mr. Teddy Kollok. In the course of that meeting, a problem was raised concerning the water supply to the Shu’fat refugee Camp near Jerusalem, which had been cut off as a result of a dispute over payment. In response to our appeal, the Mayor agreed to restore immediately the water supply for six months to one year while a solution to the problem continued to be sought. 81
24. At UNRWA’s West Bank headquarters, I was briefed by senior staff, whose reports paralleled those I had received in Gaza. Social services had been expanded during the emergency of the past three yearsi for example, over 1,000 homes in the West Bank had been destroyed during this period, requiring UNRWA to provide tents, blankets, food and counselling to those affected. In addition to 34 health centres it maintained, 15 emergency health clinics were operating around the clock to treat casualties. Studies showed that emotional disturbances were linked to harassment and victimization by the occupying troops. Fifty per cent of school days in the West Bank were lost due to the disturbances over three years, with some schools closed as long as 29 months. Most disturbing of all were the numbers of school-age victims (under 15) for the period 9 December 1987 to 31 December 19901 58 killed and 17,944 injured.
25. The statistics presented to me by Palestinian women representing charitable orqanizations in the occupied Palestinian territories were even more chilling. They reported 1,126 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers, 76,000 imprisoned, 15,000 under administrative detention, 9,500 disabled, 62 deported, and 1,927 homes demolished. The women, with whom I met at the UNRWA field office, presented me with a joint statement (see appendix 1).
26. I then visited a health clinic at Jalazone Refugee Camp. The Camp was first established in 1949 and now serves as a temporary home for over 1,300 families. Jalacone is also one of the camps most severely affected by Israeli military measures during the three-year-old i&if&&h (see appendix 2).
27. From Jalazone, I travelled to Bethlehem, where I paid a courtesy call on Mayor Elias Freij. We discussed the political situation in the region as a whole, and the Mayor described to me the current situetion in Bethlehem. The Mayor then gave me a tour of the Church of the Nativity before hosting a luncheon in my honour.
81 Mayor Kollek subsequently informed UNRWA that. the water supply would not be restored until negotiations on the payment of the water bills begin. At this writing, Shu’fat is still without water.
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Page 8
20. Following lunch, we were to have viuited another troubled Camp at Dheirheh (see appendix 21, located on the main road between Jerusalem and Hebron. We received word that an incident had taken place involving the throwing of stone6 from inside the Camp at the vehicles of Israeli settlers passing by on the main road outside it. We we arrived at the vicinity of Dheisheh, we found traffic had been stopped in both directions by Israeli soldiers. A number of settlers, some of them quite agitated, emerged from their vehicles to protest our presence. We therefore abandoned our attempt to visit the Camp.
29. Returning to Jerusalem, I had the opportunity to meet with a number of Palestinian notables who gave me their assessment of the current situation. They latar hosted a working dinncir in my honour, over which we continued our earlier discussion.
30. Before dinner, i gave a press conferenc8, which was well attended. In response to a question, J said that I expected to Share my impressions of this visit with the Secretary-General and with the appropriate Committees of the General Asssmbly. I rsstated my support for an international peace conference on the Middle East, as called for in General Assembly resolutions and in a recent statement made by the President of the Security Council on bshalf oE it8 m8mb8rS. And I fielded a number of questions about human rights in the Occupied Palestinian territories and the current role of UNRWA.
31. On Saturday, 5 January, our party travelled to Amman, Jordan, where we w8r8 met at the airport by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Taher al-Masri and by the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mr. Abdullah Salah. I had a brief meeting with the Foreign Minister and the Permanent Repr8SentatiV8, after taking some questions from the press.
32. His Royal Hiqhncrss Crown Prince Hassan was chairing a round-table discussion of the economic and humanitarian effects of the crisis in the Gulf. I attended the inaugural session of the round table, and heard a presentation on the impact of the Crisis on Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories. I also had an opportunity to share with th8 participants some of my own observations from my visit to the Gasa Strip and the West Bank.
33. I left the round table to be briefed by heads of United Nations missions based in Jordan, hosted by Dr. Ali Attiga, the Resident Representative of th8 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Our party then returned to the Royal Palace to rejoin round-table participants at R luncheon hosted by the Crown Prince.
34. In th8 afternoon, I trE¶Vell8d to Baqa’a Refugee Camp, where I took a walking tour and spoke with residents. I also met with Dr. A. Qatanani, Director-General of the Jordanian Department of Palestinian Affairs, with A. Abder-Raheem, the Ambassador of Palestine to Jordan, and with other Palestinian notables.
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 9
35. In the evening, the Commissioner-General and I met privately with the Crown Prince for approximately an hour and a half, for a -tour d’w , b8fore attending a dinner hosted by him for round-tab18 participants.
36. On Sunday, I inspected the UNRWA training centre at Wadi Seer, which provides vocational training in 19 different trades to about 200 young Palestinian refugees.
37. I returned to Amman and met for over an hour with Prime Minister Modar Badran. Acting Foreign Minister Ibrahim Izeedins also sat. in for part of this meeting, whJch focused on the problems of the region.
38. At midday, I travelled to Jerash and walked through the refugee camp there, stopping to talk to shopkeepers and to people on the street. I visited a school financed by the Government of Japan, and spoke with both teachsrs and children there.
39. In Amman that evening, the UNRWA Director for Jordan hosted a d.inner, to which were invited members of ths diplomstic corps and Palestinian notables, including Mr. Farouk Quaddoumi, head of the Political Department Qf t.he PaleStin Liberation Organisation.
40. Before leaving Amman, I gave a formal press conferenc. In response to familiar questions, I was able to restate the purpose of my trip as well as my support for an ir.ternational peace conference as the best means to achieve peace in the region and to realise the long-held dream of ‘). Palsstinian homeland.
III. PLIGHT OF THE REFUGEES
41. I am informed that in 1940 nearly three quarters of a million Palestinians became refugees during th8 disturbances before, and after, the creation of th8 Stat8 of Israel on part of th8 former British mandate territory of Palestine. The refugees fled to Prsl--held areas: th8 largest number to eastern Palestine, now better known tcy * West Bank; many to the Gaaa Strip, others to Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic; som8 8Ven further afield.
42. Emergency assistance was provided initially by international voluntary agencies supported by funds channelled th c?!!qh the Ilnited Nations Relief for Palestine RefUg8eS (UNRPR). Then, as hopes for the immediate return of the refugees to their homes faded, the General Assembly, on 6 December 1949, set up the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). A temporary organisation and successor to UNRPR, UNRWA began operations on 1 May 19'0.
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 10
A. stPalestJ.nian terswi;es
43. The first refugees took she1t.e; wherever they could find itr in factories and warehouses, schools and hospitals, churches and mosques, even caves, In the Gaza Strip, and to a lesser degree in the West Bank, the Red Cross and the Quakers established tented camps on plots of land made available by the Governments of Egypt and Jorcien, respectively. Those were the precursors of the refugee camps of today, and probably a majority OF today’s camp-dwellers are descendants of the original refugees who took shelter in those same camps.
44. The Gaza Strip is the only field in which UNRWA operate;: where a majority of the refugee population (55 pctr cent) lives in camps. In the West Bank, only 25 per cent of the refugee population served by UNRWA ‘.ives in the camps; that proportion is not much less ‘,tar. the original 1950 figure, since the West Bank was dotted with hundreds of villages in which the early refugees settied, in some cases with or near kinsmen from their extended families.
45. By contrast, the Gaza district in 1948 had a total popLl.ation of less than 100,000 and was overwhelmed, literally overnight, with a massive influx which could only be accommodated in makeshift camps. Those e’.qht camps - three of which were visited on my tour - have expanded into the sprawling shanty towns which today still dominate the landscape of the Gaza Strip, which otherwise has only three major population centres - the towns of the Gaza, Khan Younis and Rafah, all of which are themselves adjacent to huge refugee camps.
46, In the West Bank, the camp population in 1967 was roughly the same on the eve of the June war in 1967 as it is today, numbering arbund 113,000. In that war, three large camps near Jericho were almost complntely depopulated, their residents fleeing east across the Jordan river. The 19 West Bank camps tend to be small and even orderly in comparison with those in the Gaze Strip, and they often have an appearance not greatly different from that of adjacent villages. The largest West Bank Camp, Balata, has roughly the same population as the smallest Camp in the Gaza Strip, Deir el-Balah, at around 11,000.
47. In both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, I observed that. the original tents in the camps had given way to simple one or two room structures, made of cement blocks or mud-brick topped with roofs of corrugated zinc or even wood thatch, which w8re built by UNRWA starting in the early or mid-1950s. Eventually, as their families grew, the refugees added on rooms at their own expense - mostly horizontally, as space allowed, since the basic structures were not able to support second storeys. These are the refvqee houses -- now often enhanced with the addition 9i rl small cuurtynrrl or qa~den - which one finds today. At the core of virtually every housr, no matter how often it has been expanded or modified, one will genf!rally still find t-he original “UNRWA unit” - the first rooms provided by the Agency, which is st.ill regarded as a symbol of the international commit.rlent to the Palestine refugee cause. In many areas, particularly in Gaza, the original outdoor latrines and simple cooking sheds hovf? only recently been repiaced by jndoor toilet blocks and
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Page 11 kitchens connected to central water and sewage networks. In several camps, this process is still ongoing, 40 years after these housiny units were first occupied.
48. The Palestinian population of the occupied territory of the West Bank and Gaza Strip is estimated at around 1.7 million, a little over 1 million of whom live in the West Bank and the rerllclinder in the Gaze Strip. Of that 1.7 million, more than 910,000 are refugees registered with UNRWA, comprising almost half a million in Gaza and 414,000 in the West Bank. While only a minority of the refuqees live in camps, it should be emphaoiaed that those refugees who live orltside the camps z?tain their status as refugees and their entitlement to UNRWA services.
49. UBRWA has sought to ease the suffering of the refugees by providing basic health and education services, material assistance to the most needy, safe water supplies and sanitation. The Agency has had some notable successes: the Palestine refugees have a high level of educational achievement and, in more than 40 years, there has never been a major epidemic in the refugee population. Nevertheless, a visit to the occupied territories in early 1991 reveals how unsatisfactory the living conditions of the rofugees remain. This is particularly obvious in the Gaza Strip.
50. Jabalia Camp, for example, is home to around 60,000 people. There are no paved streets, but simply alleyways of sand with drains running down the middle which flood in the winter rains. The shelters are squalid, overcrowded, quite inadequate for keeping out the cold and rain in winter and stiflingly warm in summer. The latest events in the region - notably the Gulf crisis and the associated fall in remittances to the occupied territory - give rise to well-founded concern that these conditions ilre more likely to deteriorate than to improve in the immediate future.
51. In December 1987, the Palestinians’ frustration - with miserable living conditions, 20 years of Israeli occupation and the world’s seeming indifference to their plight - erupted into anger with the outbreak of the uprising or intifadah. While the intifadah has had some political success in attracting international attention to, and sympathy for, the Palestinian cause, I am told, the inhabitants of the occupied territory have paid a heavy price. The Israeli response has been harsh. In the first three years of the i&&&& UNRWA figures indicate that even more than 900 Palestinians were killed an: over 60,000 injured in clashes and confrontations with the Israeli security forces. In addition, the absence of political progress and the stressful conditions of Bntifam have placed increasing strain on the very fabric of Palestinian society. The killing of alleged collaborators is a troubling phenomenon whi.ch has assumed majot proport.ions since early 1989.
52. The effects of the ir&i-fa-&&, however, go far beyond the tragic toll of casualties. The education system has been seriously disrupted. In the West Bank, schools were closed almost continuously for the first 18 months of the uprising, while universities have been closed for almost the entire three years. In Gaaa, schools have Eunctioned throughout the intif, but have
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Page 12 been affected by strikes, curfews and individual closure orders. Even on days when schools have functioned, clashes between schoolchildren and the Israeli security forces and entry into school premises by soldiers and border police have been all too frequent. Children of school age feature prominently as casualties of the intif_?m. According to UNRWA figures, more than 150 children under 15 years of age were killed and over 21,000 were injured in the first three years of the -adah. The lony-term effects remain to be seen but, in addition to the loss of teaching time, there is clearly cause for serious concern about the possible social and psychological consequences of such disruption on a whole generation of Palestinian children.
53. Reliable indicators of the economic effects of the inti and Israeli counter-measures are difficult to obtain, but there tin be little doubt that the Palestinian economy has suffered a great deal. Curfews, strikes, disturbances and punitive measures imposed by the occupying Power have had a negative effect on the internal economy. Moreover, many Palestinians rely upon employment in Israel as the main source of income for their families. The same factors which have disrupted the internal economy of the West Rank and the Gaza Strip have drastically reduced the number of days on which such much-needed cash Can be earned. In addition, Israeli employers have reduced the number of Palestinians employed and the arrival of large numbers of Soviet immigrants has increased the fear that this phenomenon may assume greater proportions, with few prospects of alternative employment wit.hin the occupied territories.
54. Visiting the West Bank and Gaza Strip in January 1991 provided little ground for optimism and much cause for concern, Palestinians see international expressions of sympathy unaccompanied by effective action as a meagre return for three years of largely unarmed protest and resistance to occupation. In spite of Laveral calls for, and much discussion of, the need for protection of the civilian population, the daily toll of deaths and injuries continues. The education system is in a serious predicament - in the last Iour months of 1990, 35 per cent of school days were lost in the West Bank and 43 per cent in Gaza - and the economic situation continues co deteriorate. Moreover, the crisis in the Gulf makes the Palestinians more anxious about what the future may hold and deeply resentful of the speed with which the international community has responded to the invasion of Kuwait when compared to its seemingly endless patience in seriously addressing the question of the Israeli-occupied territory.
55. The Israeli Government officials I met during my visit were preoccupied with the deepening crisis in the Gulf. Concerning the West Barlk and Gaea Strip, they emphasized to me the general improvement in living conditions that had occurred duriny the years of Israeli occupatiorl and various projects whic*h were planned ot being implemented. They also retc?Lred to
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Page 13
56. The position of Jordan, I am told, is quite different from that of the occupied territory with respect to the Palestinians. Palestinians were already living in Transjordan when Palestine was de facto partitioned in 1948. The number of refugees coming to Trensjordan - what is now the Hnshemi.te Kingdom of Jordan - at the beginning of the Palestine rnfqee drama was quite smallr most remained on the West Bank, which was under Jordan’s control from 1950 to 1967. With the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza St.rip in 1967, hundreds of thousands of indigenous West Bankers, together with about 150,000 refugees whose Eamilies had been living in the Wont Bank and, to a lesser extent, Casa, since 194R, fled east: of the rivet. Jordan was overwhelmed by a huge Palestinian influx. There are st ill some 100,000 refugees living today in four camps established in 1948, adjacent to the cities of Amman, Irbid and Zarqa. Another 125,000 live in six “emergency” camps built to house the more recent influx after the 1967 war. One of thuse, BaqR’ a Camp, with a population of over 60,000, is the largest of all the 60 refugee camps served by UNRWA.
57. In t.he “emergency” camps, many refugee families still live in fairly primitive zinc shelters first built for them starting in about 1968. Some of these camps have only recently received paved roads or orqanizcd water and sewerage systems. Yet many, if not most, of the residents of the “emergency” camps lead fairly normal, workaday lives, commuting to jobs in businesses or offices in the nearby cities. In the past few years, camps such as Baqf.‘a have seen the emergence of more permanent cement-block houses, again usually erected around the core of the original tin UNRWA unit, yet they still retain a distinct appearance of impermanence that is the hallmark of Palestine refugee settlements - a symbol of the feeling of the people that, however long they have lived in these places, they do not regard them as “home”.
58. While no exact figures exist, there is no doubt thnt Palestinians constitute a very significant presence in Jordan, amounting to more than half of the country’s population. Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA alone represent almost one third of that population. As of mid-1990, there were 930,000 registered refugees in Jordan - almost 40 per cent of the total number of refugees in UNRWA’s five fields of operation.
59. The situation of refugees in Jordan has generally been better than elsewhere. Until comparatively recently, Jordan enjoyed a lengthy period of economic stability and relative prosperity. Jordan is the only Arab country to have offered the Palestine refugees full citizenship. In practice, they are integrated unreservedly into the Jordanian economy and, with relateively few restrictions, into Jnrdallian s0ciet.y. As at mid--1o90, rjnly 24 per cent. of refugees in Jordan lived in ramps - t.he lowest percentage Iiqure of UNRWA’s five fields. Some of the camps in Jordan are among ?hP largest in the Middle East, but the living conditions, while less than ideal, stand in stalk contrast. to the poverty and squalid circumstances of the camps of the Gaza Strip.
/ . . . A/45/1000 Enql ish Paqe 14
60. Nevertheless, Palestine refugees in Jordan have been experiencing difficult times. The Jordanian economy has declined in the past few years and the refugee community, as one of the more disadvantaged elements in the country, has suffered more than most. Their predicament has been greatly exacerbated by the Glllf crisis. They have experienced, along with the rest of the population of Jordan, the severe effects of United Nations sanctions against Iraq, previously the country’s major tradinq partner. Furthermore, Palestine refugees in Jordan, in common with their compatriots i? the occupied tef ritories, relied heavily upon remittances from relatives working in Kuwait and the other Gulf States. These remittances, estimated to have been in the range of $US 900 million per annum, have, of course, largely dried up since L Arrqust 1990.
61. In addition to the economic difficulties which Palestine refugees in *lordan are now facing, they feel a deep sense of political resentment at recent world events. They have watched with sympathy and admiration the intifadah in the occupied territories in the course of the past thrte years. And, like their fellow Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, they are stt-uck by what appears to them to be an international double standard in dealing with, on the one hand, the recent Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and, on the other, 23 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
62. In this r-eqdrd, the feelings of the refugees are largely shared by the &Jordan Government, which also sees an international double standard at work in relation to l.he Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Moreover, t e Government deeply resents what it considers to be a wJidespread international failure, or even unwillingess, to understand t.he severe economic and political difficulties which Jordan faces, through no fault of its own, as a result of the Gulf crisis.
IV. PERCEPTION OF PALESTINIANS
63. The main aim of my visit was to see first-hand the human dimension of refugee life and the Palestinian problem in general. Looking into the eyes of the people, and walking with them in the camps, visiting their shelters and tnlkinq t.o t.hem, left an indelible mark on me. No matter how many reports one reads and how many statistics one sees, nothing can substitute for the direct awarr!nt?ss of t.he situation.
54. As indicated in other parts of t.his report, I visited various refugee r;\mp,r; in Gate, the West Bank and in Jordan and, on numerous occasions, in addition t.n speakins and minqlinq with the refugees in the camps, I spoke to Palest ininn leaders. The names of some of these leaders are contained i- append i X 3 .
65. Two major themes which r-an through all the discussions, whether in the camps or meetings, were:
/ . . * A/45/1000 English Page 15
(a) The double standard that the people believed has been used by the United Nations when dealing with the Security Council resolutions on the Gulf, and the Security Council resolutions on the occupied Palestinian territcries:
(b) The United Nations appears to be controlled by one, or a few, of its Member States.
fiti. I explained the United Nations position by pointing out that one cannot conclude that the circumstances underlying the Palestinian problems and the Gulf were similar. I pointed out to them that the General Assembly during its forty-fifth session, over which I had presided, together with the Security Counci 1, had passed resolutions - by near unanimity - on the matter. The Council members through a statement by their President had agreed to call for dn international conference on the Middle East at an appropriate time in the future. It was very difficult for the Palestinians to understand why, in the case of the Gulf, the United Nations did not exclude the use of force to implement its resolutions, while in the case of the occupied Palestinian territories, it did. These concerns were echoed in all of my meetings with Palestinian leadership. I met with a group of notables from Gaze over lunch, during my visit to the erea camps on my first day. The next day I met with a group of women from charitable institutions of the West Bank and Gaze. I also met with Major Freij and his advisers in his office in Bethlehem and later again over lunch. That same day, in the afternoon, I met in Jerusalem with Palestinian leaders from the West Bank and later then again for dinner where we had a lively discussion. In Jordan I also had the opportunity to meet with Palestinian leaders there and I also met with Mr. Farouk Qaddowni. The Palestinian leadership was concerned that the new emigris from the Soviet Union and Ethiopia were replacing Palestinian refugees in their jobs and it was pointed out that, in addition, when one took into account the question of Israeli settlers the result was a quick changing of the demography of the occupied Palestinian territories.
61. I was informed that the intifadah had changed the attitude of the people and that now parents, for example, were supporting their children when they threw stones and participated in demonstrations or disturbances. They strongly recommended the holding of an international conference on the Middle East to assist in establishing a Palestine State, with Jerusalem as the capital - as proposed by Chairman Arafat, which, in their opinion, has already made numerous concessions to Israel.
68. I listened to what they had to say. For my part, I explained to them repeatedly the work of the present General Assembly on the question of Palest.ine and emphasized that, as soon as the Gulf crisis was solved, I hoped that the Unit,ed Nations would actively pursue efforts towarr.ls the holding of an international conference on the Middle East. I irlso reviewed briefly, wherever I could, the work of the United Nations since the time that the Organization has been seized bf the matter, some 40 years agcJ. I emphasised to them, as I had done during my entire trip, that I felt that there s’ab no linkage between the Palestinian question and the occupation of Kuwait and that the Palestinians should be very careful in order for them not to be exploited by anybody and therefore make their plight even more difficult.
/ * . . A/45/1000 English Page 16
69. Curring the meeting with the Palestinian women (mentioned earlier), I was given statistics and examples of casualties of women and children and the destruction of houses. A statement (6610 appendix 1) to this effect wa6 handed to me in the name of the organieations represented at the meeting. I wa6 also given a document containing descriptions of sufferings and varioue abuses. They emphasised to me that the Palestinian position wa6 the 6ame a6 reflected by Chairman Arafat in his statement before the Ganeral Assembly on 13 December 1988. Finally the Palestinian women told me that they had hope6 in ths United Nation8 and that they saw my visit a6 a ray of 6UCh hope. I WI8 a88Ured that once there was a serious intention by the United Nations to hold an international peace conference, the stone-throwing would stop and intifadsh would retreat.
70. The next day Mayor Freij reiterated to me most of the concern8 mentioned above and in addition pointed out that although he condemned the Iraqi occupation of Klrwait. he seriously felt that there wa6 a double standard in the implementation of Security Council resolutions. He referred to resolution 242 (1967), etfll not implemented, and stated that the Paleetinians wanted to make peace with Israel. He stated on behalf of the refugee8 their indebtedness +.o the United Nation6 and specifjcally to UNRWA, which wa8 doing great work in the camp6.
71. Mayor Freij referred to the building by the Israelis of settlements which resembled town6. He also referred to the bleak economic situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, to the 40 per cent unemployment in Bethlehem, and to the million6 of dollar6 in export8 lost and expatriate fund8 6tOpped. He added that craft shops, restaui’ants and other tourist activities were at a standstill. The Mayor felt that the area in queetion wa8 too emall an area geographically to have three separate, completely economicelly autonomous State6 - like Israel, Jordan and Palestine. He thought that it wa8 more practical to think in term6 of three neighbouring States which were politically autonomoue but economically ?inked along the model of the Benelux formula.
72. The Palestinian notable8 from the West Bank, with whom I met twice the 6me day, also reiterated to me the 8ame concerns. In addition, they etated that the Palestinians would not stop the struggle until a Psleetinian State wa8 declared. They pointed out to me that they should not be 8een a6 a minority but as a people under occupstion. Like their colleague6 with whom I had previously met, they also recognized that the Uni+ed Nation8 In the post-Cold war era, was a most powerful and effective instrument and that they were convinced that a6 6oon a6 the United Nation8 ceased to u6e double standard6 it would work in their favour and would eventually prove to be their only hope. Finally, they StAted that this unbearable situation was forcing Palestinians to ask for ir,ternational protection. They referred to the most recent Security Council resolution on this, And that they were very anxious and intere.;ted to know how the United Nations was going to implement it.
/ . . . A/45/1000 Englirh Psge 17
73. In Jorden, the story that I heard from the Palestinian people snd their leaders wa6 the 8~10 story of a people struggling for 8 country, 8 people exieting and living a8 refugees with all the problem6 888OCi8ted with the day-to-day life in Shelters, sometimes even lacking the ba6iC neceesitiO8. It wa6 the 8ame story of disappointment at the inability of the United Nation8 to solve their problem. There wa.8, however, one striking difference. The tension and danger6 evident in the occupied Palestinian territories wa8 non-existent in the camp8 in Jordan. But this wa6 not 8 rea6on to be complacent a6 the resolve of the Palestinians in Jordan for nationhood wa8 just a6 strong.
V. ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST
74. As a reeult of the failure to reeolve the refugee problem, and the broader question of Pale8 tine, UNRWA continue6 in existence to this day; the present fifteenth mandate from the General Ascembly will expire on 30 June 1993. The Agency’6 mandate to a68i6t the tefUgt3e6 16 8 flexible one and priorities have changed over the years. In the early dsys, the emph88i6 wa6 on short-term, material assistance, but this h86 since given way to health care and, in particular, education, upon which more than half of the annual budget i8 spent.
75, While the long-term trend of UNRWA assistance may reasonably be seen a8 one from ehort-term assistance toward8 education and longer-term dev8lopmental aid, the dramatic recent history of the Middle East and the Palestinian people ha6 required the Agency to make rapid alteration6 to it6 priorities in particular location8 at epecific timee. The civil war in Lebanon prompted a return to b88iC relief assfetance which continue6 to thie day. In the occupied territories, it wa6 clear to me from what I observed that the outbreak of the intifadah al60 neceseitated a reconeideration of priorities and a commitment of additional re8ource6. Since early 1988, UNRWA ha8 been running emergency programme6 in the Weet Bank and Gasa Stripr emergency medical programmes, including phyeiotherapy, to deal with the maesive ca8ualty toll of the intifadshr emergency food aid to camps, town8 and villsges that have endured prolonged curfewsr and protection in the form of generrrl assietance through additional international staff, particularly in the form of refugee affair6 officers.
76. The refugee affair6 officer programme ha8 it6 origin6 in the report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council of 21 January 1988 (S/19443), in which the Secretary-General made a number of recommendation6 concerning the protection of the Palestinian population in the occupied territory. Since the early month8 of 19,88, refugee affair6 officers, who now number 12 in the West Bank and 10 in the Gata Strip, have been assigned to the occupied territories. Their tasks have been to visit Agency installations thereby facilitating the delivery of 6ervice6, report back to the Field Office8 on the eituation on the ground, and also to seek wherr: pO86ible, by their very presence, to afford 8 degree of passive protection to the civilian
/ ..* A/45/ 1000 English Page 18
populatiof1 l In the volatile circum6tancas prevailing in the West Bank and Gaza, it is, of course, oCtetI impossible to provide any degree of protection to the Palestinians.
77 * Nevertheless, the international refugee affairs officers are perhaps the only means of protection which the Palestinians have at present, and there have certainly been occasiorls where refugee affairs officers have succeeded in diffusing tense situations which might Otherwise have led to serious casualties or even fatalities.
7A. On 20 December 1990, the Security Council adopted resolution 681 (19901, paragraph 7 of which requested the Secretary-General “to monitor and Observe the situntion regarding Falestinian civilians under Israeli occupation . . . and to utilize . . . United Nations and other personnel and re8ources present there . . . needed t.o Accomplish this task and to keep the Security Council regularly informed”.
79. The Secretary-General subsequently asked UNRWA to take the lead in providinq him with the required information and a first report will be submitted t.o the Security Council in April 1991.
00. UNRWA is also seeking to address the problem of the inadequate living conditions of the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories discussed in section III. In early 1988, the Agency launched an expanded programme of assistance aimed at improving the living conditions of the refugees living in the camps of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A target figure of $US 65 million was set, of which A little over $30 million ha8 been raised at the time of writing. Furthermore, the Agency is seeking to address the problem of inadequate health facilities in the Gaea Strip with a project to build A 200-bed general hospital at a cost of $35 million.
01. Of course, I must say that the continued existence of UNRWA after more than 40 years i6 in itself a sad commentary on the international Community’s failure to resolve one of the most unsettling issues of the post-war er8. Nevertheless, so long as the Palestine question remains unresolved, UNRWA represents a symbol of the world’6 commitment to the Palestinian people and a vehicle throuqh which that commitment can be given concrete expression. Naturally, financial support is required.
82. For 1991, IJNRWA’s regular budget is, for the first time in many years, fully lunded. However, the emergency budget for extraordinary measures in Leballoll irrld ttle occupied terl i tor ies, including such vital programmes as emetqerlcy medical cat 13 and t.he refugee affairs officers, had, by early ,Janua I y , t’v(*c) i vet1 virt.ually 110 c0nt.r i birt.ions against nn estimated requirement of bus 25 mil 1 illrl . Mention t1i\:; ,111 re,l(ly been made of the expanded programme of assist-avlce, it imed at. impx-ov irlq livinq condit~ions in the refugee camps of the occupied tel r-it-or ier;, which temains almost $35 million short of its target figure of $65 mil 1 ion.
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 19
83. In addition, whilti a number of encouraging signals have been received from potential donors, the $US 35 million Gaza hospital project remain6 largely unfunded. It i6 essential that new donor6 come forward and existing donors increase their contribution6 in order that these vital activities for the benefit of the Palestisian people can soon be carried out.
84. However , financial support, while vital, is not sufficient. From what I saw, UNRWA i6 operating in a complex political environment. Particularly in the West Bank and Gaza, the Agency’6 activities have been subjected to ClOSo scrutiny and pressures, especially on the part of the Israeli authorities. This is the result of an increasingly volatile local political environment aud OE world attention on event? in the territories, which gives the Agency a higher profile. UNRWA has also suffered from an increasing numbsr of cases of harassment and physical abuse of it6 staff, both locally and internationally recruited.
85. It is imperative that the General Assembly and the Security Council be openly apprised of this state of affairs and that Member States reiterate that what the Agency is doing in 1 ,le performance of its mandate correspond6 with the wishes and expectations of the international community.
VI. CONCLUSIONS
86. This concluding section is being written after the ending of hostilities in the Gulf.
87 * When I decided to visit the Palestinian refugee6 in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Jordan from 2 to 8 January 1991, we were all very aware of the problems and the tensions existing in the region.
80. The fact that 15 January was only a week away served to hiqhlight the existence of the Palestinian problem - dating back two decade6 and more - within an international scenario which could further remove the problem from the world’ 6 attention.
89. The Arab-Israeli conflict has a dimension which goes far beyond the territory of Palestine. It involves not only the States Jn the region, the security concept of the Mediterranean, the relations with Europe and with the super-Powers, but it alao has an effect on the credibility of the United Nations and the political will behind its resolutions.
90. The visit was aimed at trying to identify the United Nations, in particular through UNRWA, with its mission to provide relief and work for the Palestinian refugees. The visit was a message that the United Nations of the post cold war is positively roaching for the rights of Palestinian peoples within the context of Security Council resolutions 242 (1947) and 3311 (1973) no longer to occupy a backstage in the international agenda.
/ . . . A/45/1000 Enql ish Paqe 20
(11, The visit was nlso intended as a message that the future of the Palestinian people lies in the observance of the Chartel of the United NationS. In my diScUSsiOnS with the Government of Israel I explained the reSo’lut.ic;rrS of the General AsSembly, based on the concept that living in peace with one’F; neighbours and in recognition of the right6 of the Palestinians will hrinq that international commitment to secure and guaranteed frontiers that all States in the region, including Israel, need SO much to rzafequard t.heil future.
0 2 . To t.hose in Israel who believe t.hat the international guarantees arising Erom a conference on peace in the Middle East do not OfEer the necessary secuf ity, the lesson of the Gulf, the commitment. of so many nations in a coalition led by the IJnited States of America are certainly an eye-opener I:. ha t. , i I so much was clone to free Kuwait., certainly not less will be 4one were Israel ‘s s11rvivn1 to he thleatsned.
91. I nterriat ional diplomacy is now on the move to try and bring peace in the t4iddle East. For many in Palestine, t.he IJnited Nations has taken too long FI t ime t 0 act on its owlI resolut.ionS. The double-standard approach was of ten brought. t.o our coqnizance during our meetings. Some suggest even today that WC have? to move slowly iC A solution is to be reached. Rut a %O-year go-slow pro(*ens i!: already perhaps too much to ask for a long-sufferinq prtople.
34. The tragedy of event6 in the Middle East is rendered even more poignant by the fact that the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples, both of Semitic or igin, bot.h long suffering in history, have found t.hemseJves Eallinq into a logic r)f desperation and a dialogue between the deaf. q5. I believe that t.hese two peoples, victims oE the adversities of history, raquirc! the solidarity and involvement of all who can help in moulding events l.owards peace in the region.
9G. A visit to Jerusalem brings to the fore the cultural and religious twriLnqe which blend in the Sacred City. But a visit t.0 Jerusalem is also a mclss;ago t.r) men of goodwill to bring understanding t.o victims of diViSiO:I and nl lnncl--s4~nding rncriminations.
4’1. WP‘ at the United Nations, have a responsibility towards the ~~ran(lr*hilclrPn of thoSe who sul fered in the concentration c,unpS as well as to t.he c,hildren of t.he ir&ibBQh of today.
!lH. Ttle visit was intended to pave the way for those who, conscious of their yol itical responsibilities, c:an help in contributinq towards a lasting peace, which will qive t-o I.he pr?oplf?s in the region rnan’c mo:;t. t:o!/c:t.t?rl gift.: peace i fl f rcrflom.
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 21
APPENDIX 1
[Original: Arabic]
Federation of Women’s Voluntary Societies Jerusalem, Palestine ‘1 Jnnuary 1.991
PalesLinian Arab Greetings!
I transmit herewith the following annexes:
1. Note from the Federation of Women’s Voluntary Societies addressed to the United Nations representative:
2. Names of the women’s societies in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip) that constitute the Federation of Women’s Voluntary Societies;
3. List of names of the Federation’s delegation that will meet with the United Nations representative:
4. Appeal for peace from NGOs;
5. Statistics of Israeli practices from the beginning of the uprising on 9 December 1987 to 31 December 1990.
Accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.
(w) Samiha Salama KHALIL President of the Federation
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 22
Jeructilem, Palestine
To the United Nations representative
On behalf of Palestinian women in our occupied territory, we welcome the United Nations representative to our country, Palestine, and call upon the Organization to strive to realize the objective6 for which it was established and to be an instrument of good for the dissemination of peace and justice everywhere and the protection of the human rights of all the peopl s of the world, irrespective of the strength cr weakness, poverty or wealth, of their States and without submission to the wishes of the major Powers that exploit their influence and trifle with the destinies of peoples in order to guarantee the continuity of their hegemony over the resources of those peoples, with a view to controlling their future and making them subservient to their will, regardless of the human tragedies and suffering that may result, wherever they may occur.
Our Palestinian people is among these helpless peoples and lives in the harshest and most difficult of circumstance6 under the most vicious colonial occupation known in history. Every day, its land is confiscated, its tree6 from which it make6 its livelihood are uprooted, its house6 are demolished, exorbitant taxes and fines are extorted for the most trifling causes, its water is stolen, its freedom is usurped, its dignity is flouted, it6 religious sites and places of worship are violated, and when it resists by peaceful means in self-defence and in defence of its land and its livelihood, the most abominable crimes are perpetrated against it, Hundreds of its son6 are fighting and thousands of its young people, women and children are arrested, its educational establishments - schools, institutes, universities and other6 - are closed down, and terrible massacres are perpetrated against it in Uyun Qara, Gaza and the blessed Mssjid al-Aqsa. There was the takeover of St. John’6 Hospice and the imposition of a military blockade on Bethlehem on its most sacred of days (Christmao Day), when it was rendered gloomy and sad. rhe world, with its States, institutions and organisations stands powerless in the face of those blatant repre66fVe violations to adopt decisions and implement penalties against the aggressors supported by the United States and the other States in the same camp without any legitimake justification or basis in international law.
We, from our occupied Palestinian land, from Jerusalem the city of the revealed religions, call upon the United Nation6 and a11 its institution6 to cooperate on tho issues of the people with a single standard and without bias or discrimination and to strive to implement its laws whose sole purpose is to put an end to wars and destruction and grant all peoples their rights, their freedom and their stability.
We vehemently censure and candemll the immigration of Jews from the various parts of the world, the adoption of all oppressive methods against our people, the cutting off of the sources of its livelihood by all other kinds of
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 23
oppressive measures in order to make room for these Jews so that they can settle in the place of our people and the deportation from our land and the land of our forefather6 of our national6 who have lived there for thousand6 of years.
Lastly, we call upon the United Nation6 and the Security Council to meet and implement our requests.
1. To terminate the occupation of our territory:
2. To give our Palestinian cause just status by convening the plenipotentiary International Conference with the participation of the five permanent member6 of the Security Council and concerned States, foremost among them the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of our people, on a footing of equality:
3. To grant the Palestinian people its just rights with the e6tabliShment of its independent Palestinian State on the soil of its homeland, with Arab Jerusalem a6 its capital, as well as its right to return and its right to self-determination:
4. To halt Jewish migration to our Palestinian land.
In order to do that, we call upon the United Nations and the Security Council to send international forces, not merely observers, to protect our people from the repressive practices inflicted on it so that peace may come to the land of love and peace. Peace cannot be achieved in the world without a just solution to our Palestinian question, which is the core of the world conflict.
Federation of Women’6 Voluntary Societies Jerusalem 4 January 1991
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 24
, 2. t.&ll&$Of~SVO~SOC~BS~ (West)
1 January 1991
1. Young Women's 1. Inash al-Usra 1, Women’s Federation Muslim Society Society, Al Bireh Society, Nablus
2. Young Women's 2. Young Women’6 2. Child Care and Christian Society Christian Society Maternal Orientation Society
3. Arab Ladies’ 3. Deir al-Dubban 3. Sports and Cultural Society Chwitable Society Club Society
4. Friends of Dar 4. Child Care 4. Red Crescent al-Yatim Society Society Society, Tulkarm
5. Dar al-Tif 1 al-Arabi 5. Women’ 6 Renaissance 5. Socie:y for Arab Society Society Orphans
6. Care Project 6. Evangelist HOUSe 6. Habla Ladies' Sot iety Society Society
7. Rawdet al-Zuhur 7. Jifna Ladies’ 7. Women’s Federation Society Society Society, Tulkarm
8. Women' 6 Federation 8. Tiba Ladies' 8. Red Crescent Society Society Society , Jenin
9. Sur Bahir 9. Bir Zeit Ladies’ 9. Anabta Ladies' Sot iety Society Society
10. Mar Mansur 10. Kalandia Charitable 10. Salf it Ladies ’ Society Society Society
11. Women of Islam 11. Sinjil Charitable 11. Al-Murabitat Sot iety Society Charitable Society
12. Jericho Ladies ’ 12. Women’s Federation 12. Qabatiya Ladies’ Society Society, Al Bireh Society
13. Young Women ’ s 13. Women’s Federation 13. Tubas Ladies ’ Christian Society Society, Ramallah Society
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 25
14. Orthodox Charitable 14. Palestinian Women’s 14. Ya’bud Ladies ’ Refuge Society Charitable Society for Society the Revitalization of the Camps
15. Burqin Ladies ’ Society
1. Women’s Federation 1. Hebron Ladies’ Society 1. Women ’ 8 Society, Bethlehem Federation society
2. Child Care Society, 2. Al-Arrub Ladies’ 2. Home Society Beit Jala Society
3. Woman’s Federation 3. Halhoul Ladies ’ 3. Renaissance Society, Beit Sahur Society society
4. Family Development 4. Hebron Young Women’s 4. University Society, Beit Sahur Society Women's Society
5. Academic and 5. Young Women ’ 8 Profeseional Christian Palestinian Women’s Society society
6. Al -Arrub Ladies ’ Society
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 26
. . . .
/ , l s A/45/1000 English Page 27
4. Anpeal for oeace fr~~Sg.ua&ha inPalestine
The deployment of a huge American military task force in the Arabian Gulf arid in Eastern Saudi Arabia, slcpported by Arab and European forces, and grumpted by persistent American plans to use force in order to resolve what has become to be knc*rn as the Gulf Crisis, was recently endorsed by the United Natjons Security Council under undue and immense American pressure, carries with it the olemcnts and prospects for the most dangerous human and economic catastrcrhes not only for the nations of the Middle East, but also for the entire world.
Fiowever crucial the problem of the Gulf is, neil-her its size nor the results that. ensued therefrom, justify such an urgency on the part of the USA to drag the whole world into the worst eventualities.
The local NC0 Coordinating Committee in occupied Palestine believes that it is the duty of all forces that bl:lieve in peace and the importance of protect,ing it, forsake and deplore war, and who believe that all regional and international differences must be resolved through rational negotiations, should of necessity use all resources available to them to do all they can to concentrate their regional and international efforts against the blatant intentions of the U.S. Administration to ignite the fire of a War that we believe will be devastating to all humanity.
WE THEREFORE CALL ONI
All Peace Movements everywhere:
All Groups and Movements opposed to the pollution of the World environment]
PI1 Non.-Governmental Organieations and forces that are firmly opposed to war, and instead opt for the process of negotiation and dialogue to resolve all such problemst
1. Devote a WEEK FOR WORLD PEACE stretching from the morning of the 12th of Januor!’ through the evening of the 19th of January 1991, during and efter which all efforts will be wholly concentrated on the realiration of peace and stability in the region.
2 . Organize activities such 2,s holding debates, clcmonstrat ions and rallies condemning the use of force, and emphatically declarinq their stand against war.
3. Condemn the intention of the American Administration to ignite the fires of a devastating war in an area that is full of oil fields - the thing that if it takes place will create dangerous environmental pollution in vast areas of
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Page 28 the world. In addition, it will inflict great human and economic catastrophes on many countries in the world, especially the industrialised nations.
4. Support and advocate the initiatives taken by Arab and International parties against war, but work toward resolving the problem peaceably.
5. Appeal to the American Congress to stand firmly against the irresponsible policies of the American Administration.
6, Appeal to all Churches to hold services dedicated for Peace in the Gulf and the whole world on 13 January 1991.
FOR THE LOCAL NC30 COORDfNATl’NG COMMITTEE (OCCUPIED PALESTINE)
28 December 1990
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 29
CataPnrY
I. Martyrs 1 126 Including 257 children under the age of 16, 21 of whom died in prison.
2. Detainees 7 600 Including 1,500 administrative detainees.
3. Wounded 62 735
4. Disabled 7 500 Including 2,000 cases of permanent disablement.
5. Deportees 62 Including 22 women and 56 children.
6. Blinded 155 Including 132 people from the Gasa Strip.
7. Greer cards 1 600 Young people given green cards,
8. Workers dismissed 25 600
9. Workers on dismissal 35 000 Awaiting diemisaal. list
10. Dynamiting and sealing 1 927 Including 720 for security reasons of houaea and the remainder for lack of a permit.
11. COnfiBCated land 156 716 dunums
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 30
APPENDIX 2
A* Jalseona
Since the beginning of the Palestinian uprising in December 1987, Jalasono Camp has been an active site of demonstrations and confrontations and ranks among those refugee camps most severely affected by Israeli military measures in the last three years. The following is a summary of some of those measures t
Two Camp residents were shot dead and one died of severe beatings:
470 Camp residents were shot by live or rubber bullets. Four of them lost their ability to move and s two-and-a-half-year-old girl lost rne of her eyes;
980 youths were arrested of whom 160 are still in detention;
150 youths were given green identity cards which prevent them from going into Israel:
25 houses were demolished and 10 houses were sealed by the authorities as a punitive measure. Six other houses were destroyed unintentionally due to the use of explosives to demolish one of the 25 houses;
Jalasone suffered a total of 127 days under military in-house curfew. The longest curfew lasted for 42 consecutive days:
Males, aged 14 to 60 were ordered out of their houses 33 times in the last three years. Each time they were forced to stay in the Camp’s market all night;
57 children aged 5 to 12 were detained and their families were forced to pay a bail of NIS l,OOO.OO ($500.00) for each child. Total sum pajfl = NIS 57,OOO.OO;
Soldiers broke into UNRWA’s schools in the Camp 37 times. The same schools were closed by military orders 25 times.
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 31
Dheisheh Camp, which is located on the main road between Jerusalem and Hebron, has been a frequent site of demonstrations and incidents since the oeginning of the Palestinian uprising in December 1985. The Camp’s proximity to the main road, which is frequently used by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, has caused the Camp further suffering. In the last three years the Camp suffered from the following Israeli measures:
The whole Camp was isolated from the main road by erecting a six-metre high fence covered with steel sheets. All entrances along the main road were also blocked and a huge gate was set up near UNRWA’s offices to facilitate the Agency’s access into the Camp, but not the residents accesb.
Dheisheh Camp spent a total of 136 days and 252 nights under military in-house curfew during the first three years of the upr 8 Ging.
Four houses were demolished and one was sealed by the Israeli authorities as a punitive measure during the uprising.
Twelve Dheisheh residents have heen killed and 362 wounded since the beginning of the uprisinq.
Mcl’e than 300 Camp residents are currently under detention. Many others were given green identity cards preventing them from entering Israel.
In late 1989, the Israeli authorities issued a new order prohibiting the construction of second storey buildings for a distance of 60 metres from main roads. The new regulation affected Dheisheh Camp most because the Camp lies along the main road connecting Het,ron with Jerusalem. Following the Israeli announcement, 14 refugee families were notified that they would have to stop constructing a second storey and that they have to demolish what they have already built. Due to protests and appeals no demolition has taken place yet.
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Paga 32
APPENDIX 3
A. w in -ino with For-tot Logy 3Jsnuarv
H.E. Mr. David Levy, Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Drory, Ambasoador to Malta and Italy Mr. Jorreph Haddas, Deputy Di,rnctor-General for Western Europe Mr. David Sultan, Deputy Director,-General for the Middle East Brigadier-General Freddy Zach, Deputy Co-ordinator of Activities in the Administered Territories
H.E. Prof. Guide de Marco, President of the forty-fifth session of the General Assembly Mr. Giorgio Giacomalli, Commissioner-General, UNRWA H.E. Dr. Joseph Cassar, Adviser to the President Mr. Francesco Bastagli, Chief, Office of the Commissioner-General Mr. Yves Besson, UNRWA, Director of Operations, West Bank Mr. Klaus Worm, UNRWA, Director of Operations, Gaea . Mr. William Lee, UNRWA, Deputy Chief of Information Mr. Michael Bartolo, United Nations Adviser to the President Mr. Fred Eckhard, Press Spokesman for the President
B. -notableem 3 Jsvv 19p1
Dr. Haidar Abdul-Shafi, Chairman, Red Crescent Society Dr. Eakar la Al -Agha, Chairman, Arab Medical Association Mr. Freih Abu Meddein, Chairman, Gaza Rar Association MS. Yusra Barbari, Chairwoman, Palestinian Women’s Union Mr. Constantin Dabbagh, Executive Secretary, NECCCRW, Gaea Mr. Aqil Mattar, Chairmen, Engineers Association Mr. Isam Shawa, Representative of ANERA Dr. Mohammad Zein-Eddin, Chairman, Central Blood Bank Society
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 33
Cl I)iDlomats a-or with the PresidWLt Jerusalem.4
Msgr. Andrea Di Montezemolo, Apostolic Delegate Mr. Marino Fleri, Consul-General, Italy Mr. Bernard Pierre, Consul-General, Belgium Mr. Philip Wilcox, Consul-General, United States of America Vr. Michael Cambanis, Consul-General, Greece Mr. David Maclennan, Consul-General, ‘Jnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Mr. Pascal Charlat, Deputy Consul-General (No. 21, France Mr. Pedro Eweis, Counsellor (No. 2), Spain
D. Palestinian WML~O he& of chu&&Ae org~.i”,ations PresiBent;
Mrs. Samiha Kh61!1, Inash Al-Usra society, Al-Bireh Mrs. Nuzha Nuseibeh, Moslem Young Women Society, Jerusalem Mrs. Samia Khoury, Rawdet Al-Zuhur Society, Jerusalem Mrs. Khadijeh Farhan, Kalandia Charitable Society, Kalandia Miss P’a’:meh Jibril, Camps Development Society, Jerusalem Mrs. Julia Dabdoub, Women Union Society, Bethlehem Mrs. Lydia Araj, Child Care Society, Beit Jala Mrs. Firyal 2. Aghs, Home Society, Gaza Mrs. Yusra Barbari, Women Union Society, Gaza Ms, Malak Tarazi, Women Union Society, Gata Mrs. Yusra Shawar, Hebron Women Society, Hebron Mrs. Ounsyna Anani, Halhoul Women Society, Halhoul Mrs. Nawal Masri, Child Care Society, Nablus Ms. Sara Hannoun, Red Crescent Society, Tulkarm Mrs. Badia Khalaf, Women Renaissance Society, Ramallah
E. Palestinian not&lee atwmeetfnawith Pre&i&XB.t Jerusslem.4
Mr. Faisel El-Husseini, Arab Studies Society Dr. Saeb Areikat, Professor, Al-Najah University Dr. Riyad El-Malki, Professor, Birzeit University Miss Eahira Kamal, Director of Women’s Work Committee Mr. Ghassan El-Khatib, Professor, Birzeit University and Director, Jerusalem Media Communication Centre Mr. Raja Shihadeh, Lawyer, Ramallah Mr. Freih Abu Meddein, Chairman of the Bar Association, Gaz,l Mr. Maher El-Masri, Businessman, Nablus
/ . . . A/45/1000 English Page 34
F. llmd.6 of united Nations or tbir reDr.mmMtive6 Prvstaant
Dr. Ali Attiga, Resident Representative, UNDP Mr. Rafiq Shukor, Deputy Resident Representative, IJNDP Mr. Khalid Jinini, Administrative and Finance Officer, UNDP Mr. Richard Reid, Regional Director, UNICEF Dr. Leila Bissharat, Chief of Programmes, UNICEF Lt. Cal. Hans Mueller, Chief Liaison Officer, UNTSO Mr. Stephen Walsh, @eleqate, UNDRO Mr. Louis Barbeau, Delegate, UNDRO Mr. Galindo Velez, Director, Regional Office, UNHCR Mr. Mohammed Thabet, Officer-in-Charge, Department of Administration, ESCWA Mr. Imtiaz Mohamed, Administrative Officer, WHO Dr. Abdul-Khader Al Atrash, Acting Director, UNESCO
G. -ted 4v Mr. Franke de JQ~QB , PirectotofUNRWA 6 Jw 1991
H.E. Mr. Guido de Marco (Guest of honour) H.E. Dr. Joseph Cassar, Adviser Mr. Michael Bartolo, Adviser Mr. Fred Eakhard, Press Spokesman
H.E. Mr. Abdullah Salah, Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations, New York H.E. Dr. Ahmed Qatanani, Director-General, Department of Palestinian Affairs H.E. Mr. Khalil Othman, Director, International Affairs and Conferences
H.E. Mr. Anthony Reeve, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland H.E. Mr. Chang D. Liang, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China H.E. Mr. Denis Bauchard, Ambassador of France H.E. Mr. Attayeb Abder-Raheem, Ambassador of Palestine H.E. Mr. Ramon Armengod, Ambassador of Spain H.E. Mr. Uri Griaddunov, Ambassador of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics H.E. Mr. Roger Harrison, Ambassador of the United States of America
Mr. Farouk Qaddoumi, Head of the Political Department of the Palestine Liberation Oroanization
/ . . . A/45/ 1000 English Page 35
H.E. Dr. Ali Attiga, Resident Representative, UNDP
H.E. Mr. Giorgio Giacomell;, Commissioner-General Mr. Francesco M. Bastagli, Chief, Office of the Commissioner-General Mr. William Lee, Deputy Chief, Public Information Office
/ . . . A/4511000 English Page 36
APPENDIX 4
Press asDects of the visit as reDorted bv the SDokesman for the President;
Wednesdav. 2 Januarv 1991
Upon his departure from Malta, President de Marco gave a press Conference at the airport, in Maltese, to about 20 reporters, including two television crews.
At Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, the President was greeted by 15 journalists. including one camera crew. He gave a press conference of about 10 minutes' duration in a VIP lounge. His arrival was covered on the evening news.
On arrival at his hotel in East Jerusalem, the President gave an impromptu interview to a Palestinian journalist.
Later, on entering the dining room of the hotel, the President was met by a camera crew from World Television News (WTN), to whom he gave an impromptu interview.
Thursdav, 3 Januarv 1991
For his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy, two waves of journalists, totalling about 40 individuals, were ushered into the meeting room for a photo opportunity.
Polloving that meeting, in front of the Foreign Ministry, an impromptu press conference took place involving perhaps 30 journalists, including several camera crews.
0n the way to Gaza, the President's motorcade stopped briefly at the Eretz checkpoint. A number of journalists who had been prevented from entering Gaza, which had been declared a closed military tone, had gathered there. S0me took photos and shouted questions.
(Journalists and camera crews based in Gaza were free to cover the President's visit, and did so every step of the way. These included camera crews from WTN, VisNews and ABC News. WTW was feeding CNN, which, we are told, gave consistent coverage to the PresideDt's visit. Crews from French TV (TF-I) and Spanish TV joined up with the President at Beach Camp and stayed with the party from then on. An UNRWA crew covered the President's entire trip for UN-TV. and prepared a 3-minute clip that aired on CNN World Report on Monday, 7 January.)
/ *.. A/45/1000 English Page 37
The President’s motorcade stopped at the Women’s Activity Centre at Jabal ia r unp, then withdrew in order not to aggravate an incident already under w,) involving hundreds of youths throwing stones at Israeli soldiers in a military compound within the Camp. Some press stayed behind to cover the incident, in which several people were injured.
A small press contingent continued on with the President, who visited Rime1 Health Centre.
Outside UNRWA headquarters in Gaza, the President gave an impromptu press conference to three camera crews, WTN, VisNews and APC News.
The President then toured Beach Camp, with press coverage throughout.
A photo opportunity was arranged when the President met with Palestinian not.nbles there. After lunch, the President greeted John Solecki, an UNRWA Refugee Affairs Officer injured while on duty, and was filmed by several crews. He t.hen shared his impressions of his trip thus fax- in an impromptu interview with a cluster of journalists, including Spanish television.
A meeting with the Chairman of the Gaea Port Fisherman Society provided another photo opportunity.
Press followed the President on a visit to a physiotherapy clinic at Nuseirat. Camp.
Several camera crews plus photographers and print journalists followed the President on a tour of Ahli Arab Hospital as he spoke with patients, some of whom, wounded in the intifadah, covered their faces. On camera, dcztoro showed the President five varieties of bullets removed from the bodies of patients.
Despite the coming darkness, camera crews followed the President to the British War Cemetery, where he laid wreaths on the graves of United Nations peace-keeping suldiers buried there.
At the American Colony Hotel, before dinner with the Consuls-General, the President gave exclusive interviews to Paul Adams ot the BBC and Robert Mahoney of Reuters.
A large press contingent showed up for the Precident’s meeting with Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek. There was a photo opporVrlnit y l)eCf~re t,he meeting and questions afterward. (About 3 camera crews, LO photographcr~ ;Ind journalists. )
The President then visited UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem and met thc?re with Palestinian Women Heads of Charitable Organizatiotis. The event was covered by several camera crews and about 10 photoqrapers and print journalists. A/45/1000 English Page 38
Next on the President's itinerary was Jalazone Camp on the West Bank. Despite the closing of the West Bank to the press, members of the press corps resident there were able to cover the President's movements. His motorcade was followed by the French TF-1 crew that filmed from the open sun roof of their car. The visit to Jalazone was covered by a number of journalists.
The President then met with Mayor Elias Freij of Bethlehem. There was a photo opportunity before the meeting with the Mayor and an impromptu press conference with over 2G journa2ists afterwards. A somewhat smaller number of journalists then accompanied the President as the Kayor gave him a tour of the Church of the Nativity.
Only a small number of press was present after the lunch, as the President's party set off for Dhaisheh Camp, where incidents were reported to be taking place. There were no journalists present when at a roadblock the motorcade was turlzed hack by IsraeZi settlers protesting the United Nations presence.
Back at the _American Colony Hotel, the press presence was substantial, and a photo-op was arrmged before the President's meeting with Palestinian notables there. The Press eagerly awaited the end of the meeting to interview participants- The President deLaye3 his own press conference to give the press time with the -notables.
The President's press conference was standing room only, with close to a hundred local and international media people present.
Saturdav. 5 Januarv 1991
Because the President took a United Nations plane from a military airport in Jerusalem, there was no press coverage of his departure from Israel.
Jordanian Television and other media were on hand for the President's arrival in Amman, where he was met at the airport by the Foreign Minister and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations. An impromptu press conference took place there.
Jordanian TV also covered the "Roundtable on the Gulf Crisis", hosted by Crown Prince Hassan at the Royal Palace, at which the President made a statement.
At his hotel, the President gave a three-way interview to Wafa Amr of the Arab language daily Al-Dustour, Jamal Halaby of the Associated Press and p. V. Vivekanand of the Jordan Timea. *
Press interest &creased for the President's visit to Baqa'a camp, where he walked the streets and met with Palestinian notables. He did a stand-up interview for Jordanian TV following his meeting with the notables. A/45/1000 English Page 39
Sunday. 6 Januarv 1991
On the second day of the President's visit to Jordan, press interest continued to intensify. About 20 journalists, including three camera crewSI covered his visit.to Wadi Seer Training Centre.
A press contingent also followed the President to his meeting with Prime Minister Mudar Badran and Acting Foreign Minister Ibrabim Izzedine, after which the President did a second stand-up interview with Jordanian TV followed by an impromptu interview with the Jordanian Press Agency, Petra.
A full complement of press, including a number of TV crews, were on hand for the President's last camp visit, at Jerash. Here, the President was also photographed talking with schoolchildren and with teachers at an UNRWA school, and was filmed walking through the streets and speaking with residents and shopkeepers. He also did an impromptu interview with French Television.
In the evening, before dinner, the President gave an exclusive interview to Leila Deeb, an Amman-based freelance journalist who strings for Canadian Press Service and Pacifica Radio (US)-
Mondav. 7 Januarv 1991
Before leaving for the airport, the President gave a formal press conference at the Ananan Plaza before some 40 local and international media representatives. Following the press conference, the President gave a 25-minute interview to noted Palestinian journal9st Rami Rhouri for the weekly Jordanian Television discussion programme "Encounter".
/ . . . A/45/100C English Page 40
APPENDIX 5
H.d. Prof. Guide de Marco President of the forty-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Malta
H.E. Dr. Joseph Cassar, Adviser to the President
Mr. Michael Rartolo, Advieer to the President
!dr . Frederic Eckhard, Spokesmen for the President
Mr. Gudmundur Siggurdson, Security Officer
H.E. Mr. Giorgio Giacomelli, Commissioner-General United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Mr. Francesco Bastagli, Chief, Office of the Commissioner-General
Mr. William Lee, Deputy Chief, Public Information Office, IJNRWA